


Safewords

by Nova_Raven



Series: BDSM ‘Verse [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: BDSM, Bondage, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Masochism, Negotiations, Rope Bondage, Rope scenes, Sadism, Shibari, The Arrest, Trauma, Use of safewords, Whips, blood choking, neck rope (for kink)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_Raven/pseuds/Nova_Raven
Summary: The first time Colby and Brennen try to tie after Sam and Colby are arrested.
Relationships: Colby Brock & Brennen Taylor
Series: BDSM ‘Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653610
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Safewords

“Red.”

Brennen probably shouldn’t have been as surprised by the safeword as he was. He’d already gotten ‘yellow’ a few times while placing and dressing the wraps, but that wasn’t too weird, because he was still learning how to tie and tension the TK, but the feedback he got was weird. Colby was usually very good at communicating what he needed, what the problem was, but all he had gotten the past few times was a hasty, “I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right.”

So really, the eventual “red” shouldn’t have been a surprise.

As negotiated between Colby and Brennen, yellow meant “check in and change something”. Red meant “stop everything and get me out”. So Brennen started hastily untying the chest harness, thankful that he hadn’t had a chance to start the third rope yet, let alone the up line to the rig above them. “Dude, what’s going on?” He asked as he untied.

Colby’s hands, bound behind him, moved in agitation. “I don’t know… I just need out…” He managed, and maybe Brennen had been focusing on his tension and placement too much, but shit, all of the sudden there was _panic_ in Colby’s voice.

“Do you need me to cut?” Brennen asked, already mentally noting the cutting tool in his belt, fucking thankful that he’d pocketed it this time.

“No, just… just untie me, don’t cut your rope,” Colby muttered, and Brennen listened, whether out of trust or some selfish desire to not cut his rope he wasn’t sure, but he was already undoing the friction of the top wrap so it really wouldn’t be that much faster at this point.

Colby’s hands were fidgeting the whole time, almost shaking by the time that Brennen was getting the initial wrist cuff off of him. “Dude, what’s…?” And Colby was spinning around on the mat to face Brennen, holding his wrists out in front of him and shaking them. “Colby?”

“I’m sorry…” Colby apologized, looking terribly guilty even through his panic. “I just… I couldn’t… I needed…” He was having issues with words, his breath coming faster.

Oh fuck. Colby was really freaking out. What the fuck…

“Colby, it’s okay, dude, it’s okay, not problem, okay,” Brennen said, dropping the rope and holding his hands out. “How can I help?”

Colby shook his head, and he was rubbing at one of his wrists, whole body on guard. “I couldn’t… I… fuck, I’m sorry…”

“Wolf,” Brennen tried to tap a little bit into the working D/s dynamic they had, trying to take control of the situation the way he knew Colby needed, “Wolf, it’s okay that you called colors. I’m not mad. I just want to understand what happened.” Colby’s eyes closed and opened in a long blink, and Brennen watched as the s-type reacted to the tone of his voice. “Breathe, Wolf, okay? Can you take a deep breath for me?”

Colby did as directed, taking a deep breath in that he slowly released through his lips. Then he groaned, pressing both hands to his face. “Fuck, okay… It’s the first time we’ve tied since… since Sam and I were arrested and I… I’m just freaking out a little bit.”

And everything made sense. Of fucking course. If the last time Colby had been restrained it had been that traumatizing event… of course having his hands tied behind him again would freak him out. “Colby… shit, dude, I didn’t even think about it, I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Colby insisted faintly, “I just… like I _just_ realized why it was a problem, why the tie wasn’t working.” He still looked shaken, fidgeting with his wrists.

“I was gonna say, my tension was on point,” Brennen tried to joke, but when Colby failed to laugh, just staring absently into space, he backtracked. “Okay, what do you need, Wolf?” Colby shook his head slowly, thoughts passing over his face. “We could… maybe we don’t do behind the back ties for a little bit?” Brennen suggested, “Or maybe we lay off of hand ties at all for a bit?”

He wasn’t surprised by the reaction he got. “But I like those,” Colby complained weakly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I know you do,” Brennen said, mirroring Colby, “But if they’re like, triggering right now then... maybe we just don’t do them for a while?” He knew when he said it that there was reluctance in his tone.

“It’s fucking stupid,” Colby grumbled, distress in his voice, “I know I’m safe. I trust you. I just…” He moved his hands again in agitation, “I don’t… fuck, I don’t know.” He looked so insecure sitting there as he continued, “I know you really want to work on your TK and we just got it into the air with Lynx last time we had lessons with him…”

“Dude, if you’re not comfortable with your hands tied behind you that’s so okay,” Brennen insisted, even though Colby was right. “That was traumatic as shit, the arrest? I’m not going to fucking... you shouldn’t feel guilty for it affecting you.”

“I know but like… fuck, I don’t want to not be able to tie,” Colby said forcefully, fear and anxiety playing in his voice. “I don’t… I don’t want that to fuck up rope for me.” He looked at the rope, then at Brennen, seeming to come to some resolution. “Tie it again.”

But Brennen shook his head. “I am absolutely not putting you in something you can’t get out of in a split-fucking-second, dude,” He said. They both sat in silence on the floor for a moment as Brennen ran through options in his head. Something that would still give them a feel for Colby’s limits but that he could get Colby out of if he needed to. “I could tie your hands behind you? Just a double column or something?”

“How does that help you?” Colby asked, and of course he would be thinking about that, Brennen continuing to practice.

But it was already clear to Brennen that that was not what they were going to be doing today.

“I could freeform something?” Brennen offered. “Start with the double column and see where it goes?” _If Colby could even tolerate his hands being tied..._

Colby looked doubtful, but he nodded his head in agreement. “Okay, we can try it.” 

But when Brennen moved to catch Colby’s wrists again, he could feel the tension in Colby’s arms, and it wasn’t long after Brennen had bound Colby’s wrists again that he knew that it wasn’t going to work.

It wasn’t even a true double column tie, just a single column around both wrists (with a quick release built in), but Brennen could already see Colby struggling to contain his anxiety. “Colby?” He asked.

For his credit, Colby tried for a few more seconds, and Brennen watched him take a few centering breaths. Brennen moved in front of him so he could watched Colby’ face as he struggled, try to read when Colby needed out even if he didn’t call it. “No pressure,” Brennen promised, “It’s off the moment you want it.

“I… I’m fine…” Colby insisted, but Brennen knew Colby’s reactions. And Brennen didn’t feel comfortable leaving Colby tied any longer. So he pulled the quick release, freeing Colby’s hands. Colby didn’t protest, bringing his hands in front of him, staring at them with a certain kind of bitterness. “This fucking sucks,” He said quietly, and the resigned realization in his voice hurt Brennen’s chest.

“Maybe if we give it time?” Brennen offered, feeing helpless to help his friend, quelling the selfish voice that wanted to complain that he wouldn’t be able to tie on Colby. “I mean, it literally just happened like what? Three weeks ago?”

But Colby shook his head resolutely. “No,” He said. “I can’t... I don’t want to just not tie because like... what if it gets more associated with trauma and then I can never tie again and I can’t...” He shook his head, “I can’t do that. To either of us.”

Brennen nodded, wincing at the truth in his friend’s words. “Okay...” He said, “Uh...” And he started running through ideas. And it took a moment, but something that might work occurred to him. “What if I space you into it?” He asked.

And Colby looked up at him, an interesting look on his face. Because when Colby spaced... it was heavy. And it was getting heavier as Brennen and Colby explored more into their play and dynamic. But Brennen could anticipate the trepidation Colby felt at the idea, because Brennen knew what had happened the last time someone tried to space Colby into something.

He’d punch Britt if he ever saw her again.

Because spacing Colby into this... this might tread close to a consent line for Colby. “Would you be okay with that?” He asked, “If I try to space you before I tie you?”

And there was a pause for a moment, a well warranted pause in Brennen’s book, while Colby considered his offer. He glanced between Brennen, his wrists, and the rope, before he spoke. ”I trust you,” Colby said finally, meeting Brennen’s eyes. “Let’s do it.”

And Brennen allowed a smile to show on his face. ”Whips and neck rope?” Brennen asked, watching Colby’s eyes light up.

”Hell yeah.”

”And I’ll try to tie you a little bit later if you’re okay with it?” Which he almost definitely would be. Brennen had never seen spaced Colby say no to anything.

Even things that Brennen knew he wasn’t okay with sober.

Colby looked a little anxious, but he nodded his consent. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

And Brennen’s ring was already up, but his whips were in the other room, so he stood, subconsciously pulling on his Dominant cloak as he stood. And he knew Colby heard it in his voice when he spoke. “I’m going to go get my whips. When I get back, I want you undressed, kneeling, hands on the ring in front of you, okay?”

”Naked?”

Brennen paused. Because they were still getting used to that. “If you want to.”

Colby cracked a slight smile. “You tell me, you’re the Dominant here.” His voice was teasing, even as the submissive reacted to the tone of his voice.

Brennen rolled his eyes, even though Colby wasn’t wrong. He knelt, gripping Colby’s jaw and directing his gaze. Colby’s breath caught, eyes meeting Brennen’s, and Brennen felt the pulse of energy from Colby. He tightened fingers on the vessels in Colby’s neck, giving him just a taste of a blood choke. Colby sucked in a breath, eyes closing slowly as he took in the sensation. Brennen knew that Colby fucking loved blood chokes, and that was only confirmed by the way his whole body seemed to sag into Brennen’s grip. 

Brennen smiled softly. There was his submissive. 

Brennen released the choke, digging into pressure points on Colby’s jaw to get his attention. Colby’s brow furrowed at the pain, but his eyes opened again, looking up at Brennen. “Everything off, Wolf,” Brennen said firmly.

And Brennen watched Wolf nod quietly, the submissive coming to the forefront as a reaction to Brennen’s words and Brennen’s tone. “Yes, sir.” There was still a shadow of a laugh in his eyes, but it was overridden by this newfound submissive’s desire to please and obey.

”Good boy,” Brennen said. The submissive preened at the phrase, and he watched Colby start undressing as he walked to his room. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, because this could either go really well... or really badly. Because he and Colby were still feeling out this new dynamic, exploring Colby’s newly discovered submissive side... and how it reacted to Brennen’s Dominance. Because their relationship was always so playful, for them to be trying out a D/s... was interesting, to say the least.

Brennen found his whips where he had left them in his toy bag. He hefted then in his hands, tossing one of them and feeling the muscle memory return to his hands and wrists. He was just getting into whips, but Colby seemed to love them, so he definitely wasn’t going to complain. He was always willing target practice.

And they worked well for what he had in mind for Colby.

Brennen gave Colby a few more seconds to get himself situated, before he stepped out of his room.

As instructed, Colby knelt under the rig, his hands wrapped around Brennen’s Shibari ring, just above face level. He seemed to almost sway back and forth, under the ring, but with Brennen’s steps into the room, he looked up.

His cheeks and ears were slightly flushed at the exposure of being naked, but there was a floatiness in his eyes too, a submissive delighting in obeying their Dominant. Brennen would reward that. “Good boy, Wolf,” He murmured.

He saw the pleased smile that Colby redirected into his arm.

Brennen approached, trying not to be weird about Colby being naked. It wasn’t sexual, it was about Colby being vulnerable and exposed with him, with nothing to protect him from anything that Brennen might do to him.

And he was doing it because Brennen told him to.

He gripped fingers into Colby’s scalp, pulling his hair to pull his head back, exposing his throat to Brennen. He watched and felt Colby’s breath change, saw his ribs expand and watched at his eyes found Brennen’s. “You ready for this?” Brennen asked quietly.

And Colby instinctively went to nod, but seemed to realize that wouldn’t work with Brennen’s grip on his hair. “Yes, sir,” He said instead, and Brennen could see the effect speaking the words had on Colby, more space failing over his form.

Fuck, he loved this. They may not work as a 24/7 D/s dynamic, but during their play... shit, it was intoxicating. “I’m going to tie on the neck rope now.”

”Yes, sir,” Colby murmured, a smile of anticipation on his face, even as his eyes remained closed.

Brennen laughed internally. _Fucking neck rope slut..._

Brennen pulled a piece of rope off of the floor, pulling it around Colby’s neck and tying off a single column. Colby hummed, his eyes closing as Brennen pulled the end of the line over the top of the rig, settling the line around Colby’s neck to sit along his skull and jaw, and just barely run over the vessels in the neck. Colby put a little bit of tension on the line, a happy smile spreading over his face as Brennen locked off the upline. Brennen grinned, watching Colby choke himself on the rope.

He’d have to watch to make sure Colby didn’t choke himself out.

He let go of the rope, stepping back to reach for his whips. Colby’s eyes opened, watching him as he tossed the whips out of range of Colby. For now.

The excitement in Colby’s eyes was evident, and Brennen stopped teasing him, moving the whips closer to start snapping over Colby’s chest.

Colby let out a vocal sigh, his eyes falling closed at the licks of the whips. The crackers made little red lines appear on Colby’s chest, and Colby shook just a little bit a each snap. Brennen kicked up the tempo of the whips, watching Colby groan into the onslaught.

And Brennen’s aim wasn’t perfect, the whips supposed to be hitting his chest and upper abdomen occasionally darting up to lick across Colby’s throat, or dance along Colby’s hips, but for the most part, he hit his target, and Brennen watched as Colby sank deeper into that masochistic space he and Brennen had discovered about nine months ago.

Brennen wasn’t immune to the spacing. Throwing whips was already a kind of flow space for him, much like rigging, and feeling the pulses of space that came from Colby at a snap over a particularly sensitive area, or watching him blood choke himself on the rope... That certainly didn’t hurt the endorphin rush.

“Breathe,” Brennen reminded Colby lowly, hearing the growl in his voice, the tone that came out whenever he had to talk when he was spaced. Like Colby, he had learned that he didn’t much like to talk while spaced, but at the color of Colby’s face, he had to remember to remind Colby that his brain needed some blood. He accompanied the command with a harder snap over Colby’s sternum.

Colby gasped, lifting his head and opening his eyes to lay dark eyes on Brennen. “Yes sir,” He whispered, gasping again at a harder snap. 

“Good boy,” Brennen murmured, and rewarded him by snapping the whips harder across Colby’s skin. Colby’s eyes fell closed again, his mouth falling open, starting to make occasional little noises in response to the hits. Colby’s hands were tight on the shibari ring, like they’d been tied there, though they hadn’t, and that reminded Brennen that there was a goal to this whole scene.

As he continued hitting Colby, Brennen considered his options. He still felt fairly strongly about not putting Colby in something that he couldn’t get out of easily, so that put TKs out. Not until they had a successful rope scene first. Hmm...

He considered Colby’s hands, wrapped around his ring. And he had an idea.

He snapped the whip particularly hard, before moving back to Colby. Colby’s eyes opened lazily, peering at Brennen through half open eyelids, curious, Brennen was sure, why he had stopped. “I’m going to tie your hands,” Brennen explained, voice in his chest, both warning Colby... but not leaving room for discussion.

He waited for the safeword, but hoped he wouldn’t hear it, that he had spaced Colby enough for the thought to not even have crossed his mind. Because now he had an idea.

Fortunately, Colby just nodded, nodded and took a deep breath. The look on his face said clearly, _I trust you_.

Brennen just hoped he wouldn’t betray Colby’s trust.

He pulled another piece of rope from the floor, tying a one wrap loop around the carabiner on top of his ring, looking down at Colby. Another position that had become so symbolic over the last few months, Colby kneeling at his feet. Colby was watching him, eyes moving back and forth between Brennen and the rope.

Brennen rested the hand gripping the rope on Colby’s wrists, pressing them together. “Tell me you trust me,” He said quietly.

”I trust you,” Colby answered instantly.

”Tell me you want this.”

And Colby nodded. “I want this.”

”Say it again.” Brennen’s eyes were intense on Colby, felt the air between them thicken like a rubber band, ready to snap.

And Colby swallowed, but he did as told. “I want this.”

And Brennen believed him. “Good boy,” He murmured, starting to wrap the rope ends around Colby’s wrists. Colby watched him tie, and the tension between them tightened. Brennen could almost shudder at the feeling. “Tell me you want this.”

”I want this.”

”Tell me you trust me.”

”I trust you.”

And the line wasn’t locked off. Colby could still pull himself out of it if needed, but the symbolism was there. He’d tie Colby more a little bit later.

That transition done, Brennen pulled his whips down from around his neck, stepping back and laying into Colby again. And this time, he took full advantage of the 360 degree capabilities of their three point right, snapping the whip across Colby’s front, but also his back. And he knew he wasn’t being nice by the way that Colby’s back arched at a snap across his back.

“Fuck!”

”Tell me you want this.”

”I want this.”

”Tell me you trust me.”

”I trust you.”

And the whip kept snapping. Snapping until Colby’s whole body, front and back, was painted with licks and strokes of red color from the whips, until he could hear the whimpers that Colby bit back as the whips licked into his thighs, his chest, his back, his ass. Brennen kept moving, almost dancing with his whips as he moved them.

Colby gasped, yelped, and the space was pulsing between them, arching up between the strikes and exploding out as the strikes landed hard and fast.

“Tell me you want this.”

”I want this.”

”Tell me you trust me.”

”I trust you.”

And the energy pulsed, and danced, and Brennen knew Colby had entirely forgotten about the rope being a problem as he moved with the whips, the neck rope tightening and loosening with his movements.

And then Brennen stepped forward himself, dropping the whips and grabbing into the neck rope, pulling it tight. Colby gasped, eyes flying open to look at Brennen, now staring him directly in the face. As he held the rope taught, Brennen loosened the rope wrapped around Colby’s wrists until it was no longer tight enough to hold his wrists. Colby watched him, eyes dark, space coiling contentedly about his features.

Shit, Colby was gone.

And so, Brennen said again. ”Tell me you want this.”

”I want this.”

”Tell me you trust me.”

”I trust you.”

”Good boy,” Brennen swallowed, taking in the air of the room, the space pulsing though his chest and into Colby’s. He loosened the neck rope, letting blood flow back into Colby’s face before he said, “Hands behind your back, Wolf.”

And what else would Colby do but obey? And it was with that submissive aura that Colby said, “Yes, sir.” And Colby freed his wrists from the wraps, placing them behind his back.

”I’m going to tie your wrists,” Brennen said, watching Colby’s face for any panic. But there was nothing, only the submissive he had come to know, waiting for his next order.

”Yes, sir,” Colby closed his eyes. And that alone told Brennen how much he trusted him.

Brennen dropped his grip on the neck rope, pulling another piece of rope off the floor and tying a loose single column around Colby’s wrists. And Colby probably still could have wriggled out of it without too much issues, but that wasn’t the point.

That wasn’t what he had been told to do.

That wasn’t what they were doing.

”I want this,” Colby murmured, without prompting, and Brennen could tell that he believed his words. “I trust you.”

Brennen felt a faint smile touch his lips. “I know you do,” He murmured, and pulled on the neck rope once more.

Brennen didn't go for his whips again. He just knelt by Colby, blood choking his friend and letting his hands and nails run over the whip sensitized skin. Colby shuddered into his touches, and Brennen could tell he just wanted to drop his head into his chest and take in the sensations, but the neck rope prevented his head from dropping lest he choke himself. Brennen knew it was more than a pleasant trade off for Colby, but he continued to watch Colby as he continued to torture his friend.

Even though his hands were bound, Colby was still moaning and whimpering and gasping into the stimulus Brennen gave him. He was at the point in his headspace that Brennen knew he wasn't holding back his reactions, just letting his body naturally react to what it was feeling. It was one of Brennen's favorite places to get Colby, because it was there that he knew that nothing was faked, all of his reactions were real, and Brennen was seeing the rawest, most vulnerable part of his friend. And that made Brennen's Dominant very happy.

And they were working down, Brennen knew that, so he reached up and pulled the upline on the neck rope, letting Colby let his neck hang freely. He got a small whimper of protest for that one, but it was mixed with relief. Colby shifted his legs, and Brennen caught his shoulder to help ease him to sitting instead of kneeling. Colby hissed as the sensitive skin of his ass met with the floor, but it all came out in a groan of relief of not being on his knees anymore. He leaned his head into Brennen's arm, and Brennen lifted the other hand, to card through his hair. "Good boy..." Brennen murmured. "Good boy. I'm so proud of you..."

He heard a happy noise, thought he might have felt a smile against his arm. And Brennen felt the urge to pull Colby closer, knowing that Colby probably felt the same, so he did, letting Colby's head rest against his shoulder while Brennen embraced him. And Colby was still tied, but he hadn't needed to be let out yet. Didn't even look like he was considering it.

That counted as a success in Brennen's book.

It took Colby a little bit longer to work himself back down to verbal, and Brennen knew they were okay when he had a tired submissive blinking up at him, murmuring without panic, "You should probably untie me now."

"I can do that," Brennen agreed, unknotting the rope holding Colby's hands. With a few practiced tugs, the knot fell free, and Colby rolled his shoulders, moving his wrists into his lap. He dropped his head into his chest, humming a quiet noise. He didn't speak for a few moments, and Brennen started to worry. Which wasn't necessary. Colby didn't usually talk too much after scenes, but this time, he felt so much more like he needed to know what was going on in his friend's head. "You doing okay?" He asked.

And when Colby lifted his head, and there was a tired but satisfied grin on his face, Brennen had his answer. "Yeah, I'm good," Colby said, "Seriously. That was..." He chuckled, "I fuckin' love whips."

And Brennen laughed, feeling all the tension leave him with his breath. "I know you do, dude, that's why you're awesome target practice."

Colby shrugged, still grinning, "Always happy to help," He leaned into Brennen's shoulder, wrapping his own arms around Brennen this time. "Thank you for doing that for me." And Brennen knew he wasn't just talking about the whips.

"Of course, dude," Brennen said, hugging him back. "You just needed to get out of your head and remember what it was like."

"Yeah... yeah I did," Colby agreed. He drew back from Brennen, looking over the whip marks left on his body. "Nice..." He muttered with a grin.

"Some of these are gonna stick," Brennen said, proud of himself.

"Good," Colby preened, pleased with the marks left behind. "Suspensions will leave even better marks..." He shot a suggestive look to Brennen.

Brennen laughed, "Easy dude, let's get a couple more rope scenes under our belts before we get back into suspensions. I still want to make sure I can tie you not spaced, first."

"Yeah, yeah..." Colby rolled his eyes, stretching out before reaching for his boxers.

Colby's phone buzzed while he was redressing, Brennen bundling his rope. Colby picked it up, reading the message quickly. "Sam," He explained to Brennen quickly. "Wants to know if I'm coming out with the group tonight."

"Cool," Brennen cocked an eyebrow, still wrapping up his kit, "When are you going to tell him, dude?"

Colby paused, then shrugged. "I dunno," He said honestly. "As soon as I fucking figure out how."

"Sooner would probably be better than later," Brennen said, tucking his rope away. "One of these days he's going to walk in on you tied up and then shit's gonna hit the fan."

Colby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," He said, "I'll figure it out, dude." And Brennen sighed, because fuck Colby was a stubborn fucker, but it wasn't his place to tell Sam about all of this. That was Colby's job.

He just hoped Colby didn't give Sam a heart attack with however he chose to do it...

**Author's Note:**

> Just a random little short that occurred to me in this universe. I'd meant to write it for a while, but I've just now become comfortable enough with Brennen's POV to do it. I wanted to write a rope piece from a rigger's perspective so... here it is!
> 
> I've included a link to a video of the mentioned TK tie so you guys can picture it (And also a really good resource for rope/shibari in general. 100% Nova approved.
> 
> https://shibaristudy.com/programs/kinoko-tk3
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed, let me know what you think, and I'll see you in the next one!


End file.
